Music of the Isle of Man
Part of a series on the |
Culture of the Isle of Man |
---|
History |
People |
Languages |
Mythology |
Cuisine |
Festivals |
Religion |
Literature |
Music |
Sport |
The music of the Isle of Man reflects
A wide range of music is performed on the island, such as rock, blues, jazz and pop. However, its traditional folk music has undergone a revival since the 1970s, starting with a music festival called Yn Chruinnaght in Ramsey.[1] This was part of a general revival of the Manx language and culture, after the death of the last native speaker of Manx in 1974.
Musicians of the Manx musical revival include
Early history
Little can be determined about the character of music on the Isle of Man prior to the 15th century. There are many carved crosses from this era, but they depict a total of two musicians, one
The earliest written evidence describes
According to Fenella Bazin, "...[E]vidence from written sources shows that the Manx were enthusiastic dancers and musicians, often appearing in the ecclesiastical courts on charges on making music on Saturday nights or after church on Sundays."[2] A traditional Manx melody is Mylecharane (The Manx National Air).
Carvals
In 1891, Manx antiquarian and folklorist Arthur William Moore published a collection of Manx Carols. The carval is related to the medieval English carol and sung to popular Manx tunes.[2] These carols were formerly sung in the parish churches on Christmas Eve, or Oie'l Verrey (a corruption of Oie Feaill Voirrey (the eve of Mary's Feast, i.e. Christmas Eve), as it was called. It was the custom for the people on this night to bring their own candles, so that the church was brilliantly illuminated. Decorations mainly consisted of branches of holly and festoons of ivy. After the prayers were read and a hymn sung, the parson usually went home, leaving the clerk in charge. Then each one who had a carol to sing would do so in turn, so that the proceedings were continued till a very late hour, and sometimes also became of a rather riotous character, as it was a custom for the female part of the congregation to provide themselves with peas, which they flung at their bachelor friends. On the way home a considerable proportion of the congregation would probably visit the nearest inn, where they would partake of the traditional drink on such occasions, viz. hot ale, flavoured with spice, ginger, and pepper.[3] It was traditional to sing Arrane Oie Vie (Good-night Song) on the way home.
Ballads
The ballad Ushtey Millish 'sy Garee relates to the old practice of summoning a jury of 24 men to decide questions connected with water-courses, boundaries, etc. and is dated to sometime prior to 1777. A bardoon was a locally composed song about the loss of a loved one at sea.[4] Yn Chenn Dolphin (The Old Dolphin) is a tale about a shipwreck.[5]
19th century
Church music is the most documented Manx music of the 19th century.
20th century
A notable musical episode in the Isle of Man was the imprisonment between 1940 and 1941 of many German musicians of Jewish extraction in
Though West Gallery music continued into the 1950s, by the 20th century instrumental music accompanied most worship on the Isle of Man. Later in the 20th century, Manx church musical traditions slowly declined. The legacy of immigration, from England and elsewhere, has brought in many new styles of music to the island.
Some of the last native Manx speakers, including Ned Maddrell, were recording singing traditional songs. In 1909, the Austrian ethnologist Rudolf Trebitsch made several recordings, as did the Irish Folklore Commission in 1948.[8]
Future
Culture Vannin has a dedicated Manx Music Development Team comprising a Manx music specialist, who works with the island's Department of Education, Sport and Culture to encourage the development of Manx music in the school curriculum, and a Manx Music Development Officer, who works to promote Manx music and dance in the wider community. CDs by bands, soloists and Gaelic choirs are produced.
Manx Music Festival
The Manx Music Festival is an annual music festival held at the end of each April in
Special projects
In November 2014 Culture Vannin, a government sponsored entity, brought together musicians from Norway and the Isle of Man to produce the Norwegian-Manx Collaboration featuring traditional music and providing an educational tour around the Isle of Man. The collaboration featured Manx musicians Tom Callister, Ruth Keggin and David Kilgallon, as well as Norwegian musicians Erlend Apneseth and Margit Myhr.[10]
Notes
- ^ a b "Trad music in the Isle of Man". Ceolas.org. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
- ^ a b c "Bazin, Fenella. "The Story of Music in the Isle of Man", Manx Music". Manxstudies.liv.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
- ^ Moore, A.W., Carvalyn Gailkagh (Manx Carols), 1891
- ^ Miller, Stephen. "The Tipsy Fiddler; Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine Molly Charane George Borrow in the Isle of Man (1855), Kiall Manninagh Jiu
- ^ Moore, A.W., Manx Ballads & Music, G & R Johnson, Douglas, Isle of Man, 1896
- ISBN 0-904980-31-6
- ^ "Music and the Holocaust: British Internment and Music". Holocaustmusic.ort.org. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
- ^ Broderick, George (2019). "Manx Traditional Songs, Rhymes and Chants in the Repertoire of the Last Native Manx Speakers".
- ^ Griffin, Amanda. "The Manx Music Festival: A Socio-Cultural Consideration" (PDF). Brunel University London. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
- ^ "Norwegian Manx Collaboration Book & CD - Culture Vannin - Isle of Man". Culturevannin.im. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
References
- Mathieson, Kenny. "Wales, Isle of Man and England". 2001. In Mathieson, Kenny (ed.), Celtic music, pp. 88–95. Backbeat Books. ISBN 0-87930-623-8
- Guard, Charles (1980), The Manx National Songbook Vol. 2, Shearwater Press, ISBN 0-904980-31-6
- Bazin, Fenella. "The Story of Music in the Isle of Man", Manx Music
- Article on Manx traditional music
Further reading
- Kennedy, Peter, ed. (1975) Folksongs of Britain and Ireland; edited by Peter Kennedy, et al. IV: Songs in Manx Gaelic: (introduction; songs 73–84; bibliography). London: Oak Publications (pp. 177–202: the bibliography is very detailed and the songs have their airs)